What does CLOCS require of fleet operators, and is FORS Silver compulsory?
Under the CLOCS Standard, Version 5, a fleet operator belongs to a recognised independent fleet accreditation scheme or runs a management system that covers management, vehicles, drivers and operations, and runs every construction logistics heavy goods vehicle to the standard described as Silver in the FORS Standard. FORS Silver accreditation itself is not a CLOCS requirement.
Demiton is not CLOCS and accredits no one. This is an independent explainer. Every duty below is read from CLOCS Standard Version 5, November 2024, read 21 October 2026.
The short answer
A fleet operator must belong to a recognised independent fleet accreditation scheme, or run a management system that covers management, vehicles, drivers and operations, and give the procurer evidence of it (cl 7.1(a), (c)). It must also run every construction logistics heavy goods vehicle to the standards described as Silver in the FORS Standard (cl 7.1(b)). FORS Silver accreditation itself is not a CLOCS requirement; another accreditation scheme or management system may show the same standard.
The fleet operator's duties are binding only where the contract that engages the operator requires CLOCS. A fleet operator that subcontracts vehicle work must make the subcontractor comply (s 7).
The two fleet duties, by clause
| Duty | Binds | Window and clause | If missed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belong to a recognised independent fleet accreditation scheme, or run a management system that covers management, vehicles, drivers and operations, and give the procurer evidence of it | Fleet operator | none setcl 7.1(a), (c) | a breach of contract |
| Run every construction logistics heavy goods vehicle to the standards described as Silver in the FORS Standard | Fleet operator | none setcl 7.1(b) | a breach of contract |
What FORS Silver means here
The second duty names a standard, not a membership: the standards described as Silver in the FORS Standard. The row's note says it directly. FORS Silver accreditation itself is not a CLOCS requirement; another accreditation scheme or management system may show the same standard.
The first duty is the other half. It asks the fleet operator to give the procurer evidence of its accreditation or of its management system (cl 7.1(a), (c)). A heavy goods vehicle is one over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (s 2).
What the library notes on each duty
Quoted a whole sentence at a time from the library's note on each row.
Belong to a recognised independent fleet accreditation scheme, or run a management system that covers management, vehicles, drivers and operations, and give the procurer evidence of it
cl 7.1(a), (c) · none set · a breach of contract
- A fleet operator that subcontracts vehicle work must make the subcontractor comply (s 7).
Run every construction logistics heavy goods vehicle to the standards described as Silver in the FORS Standard
cl 7.1(b) · none set · a breach of contract
- FORS Silver accreditation itself is not a CLOCS requirement; another accreditation scheme or management system may show the same standard.
- A heavy goods vehicle is one over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (s 2).
London's Direct Vision Standard and HGV Safety Permit
London has two schemes of its own, the Direct Vision Standard and the HGV Safety Permit, which Transport for London runs. The library holds no row for either. Read Transport for London's guidance on direct vision in heavy goods vehicles for what they require and from when.
In Australia
CLOCS-A deals with the vehicle differently. Bronze, the minimum, is met by at least one standard of each either/OR pair plus every other Bronze standard. The sixteen Bronze equipment items are on the CLOCS-A Bronze page, as a table and a printable checklist.
What this page does not hold
It holds the two fleet duties above. The library holds no row for the Standard's clause 2.6 and none for the FORS Standard, so this page does not restate the FORS requirements. Read the CLOCS Standard and the FORS Standard directly, and the contract that engages the operator for whether CLOCS binds it.
- Construction logistics planWhat CLOCS Standard v5 requires of a construction logistics plan, who must keep it and when it is reviewed, each duty with its clause.
- Traffic management planWhat CLOCS Standard v5 requires of a construction traffic management plan, vehicle routing, site access, traffic marshals and gate checks, by clause.
What this page is, and is not
It is the section text this library holds for England, from The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (Great Britain), Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996, Part II (Construction Contracts), The Scheme for Construction Contracts (England and Wales) Regulations 1998, as amended for England, and Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS) Standard, Version 5, with the window and the consequence. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for reading the Regulations, the Act, the Scheme, the CLOCS Standard and the contract you signed.
These pages explain the Standard. They do not mean Demiton checks a job against it, and the duties above are the ones the library holds, not every duty the Standard sets.
Clauses read from the obligation library, release v22, last checked against the source on .